The Government should not be held solely responsible for the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide disaster on Saturday.

Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek said it was not fair to slam the Government for failing to act every time a disaster happens.

“It is unfair to say the Government did not act. We cannot put the blame on just one authority. After all, you need two to tango, but this time there are three – the Government, developers and buyers,” he said yesterday.

Ahmad Shabery was commenting on the current blame game among the authorities, developers and the public after the devastating landslide at the up-market residential area which claimed four lives and destroyed 14 bungalows.

Victims of the landslide have said they would sue the relevant government authorities for compensation.

Ahmad Shabery, who is also the deputy chairman of the National Disaster and Relief Management Committee, said house buyers also needed to be critical, especially on safety aspects, when buying property on hillslopes.

He said prospective buyers should exercise their right to demand from developers that the properties be safe to live in and would be insured for natural disasters.

“Safety should override status and beauty. Buyers should make that clear to developers,” he said, adding that enforcement at local authority levels should be strengthened to prevent such disasters from recurring.